The Quest
by Oto
Summary: The Filipino gods are in! Camp Hayahay is in danger, and three heroes are going to fix it. Join Makki, Enzo and Mateo as they embark on a journey that puts the Philippines in danger if they won't succeed.
1. Chapter 1

Camp Hayahay has never been attacked by monsters… until one god turns his back against his friends…

It all started one fine morning in Quezon City, Philippines. The air has never been this fresh. Until a dark cloud envelopes the city, followed by devastating rain, then it makes a typhoon. Who's causing all this? The gods, of course!

But there's a boy who will change that. A boy named Makki, son of Amanikable, the ill-tempered god of the sea, storms and rain.

Makki's house was affected by the typhoon. It smacks houses like the god's pounding them. Then the waves form hands to pick up cars and throwing them like a boy looking for his missing toy in his toy chest furiously. Another big ball of water hits a house like a bowling ball hitting the bowling pins.

Makki braced himself in his house, which is starting to be flooded. Then he heard a horse's gallop. Then a loud _neigh! _

Then Makki saw a hoof reaching out to him. Makki looked up and saw a man with a horse's head and hooves. _A tikbalang_, he thought. Then he felt a chill down his spine. _Tikbalangs _are one of the most feared Filipino monsters, but this one seemed innocent.

So Makki took his hand – er, _hoof_ – and the _tikbalang_ held up two small pearls and stepped on them, smashing them into pieces. Then they were transported to a bordered plain. It's not the ordinary plain you see in the country, but it's a plain with houses, statues, big wooden training grounds and armed children. Makki touched his wet blue shirt and found out that it's mysteriously dry. Makki sat down on a soft cushion of grass.

"Wh-where am I?" he asked, looking petrified.

"You are in Camp Hayahay, Makarya Salise," a man said behind him, which gave Makki a shock.

Makki turned to see a six-foot-tall man in armor, holding a bronze sword, also sitting down. "H-how'd you know my name?"

"It's been quite a long time since a son of Amanikable arrived here in one piece." He replied.

"Amanikable.. You mean the god of the sea?" Makki said, unsure of his words.

"Yes, he's always angry. And they say his children often get angry, too."

"B-but how do you know my dad's a god?"

"You have demigod smell. And I smell the ocean in you."

"You mean I stink?"

"Not necessarily like that."

Then, a horn blew like an elephant. The sound was so loud that everyone heard it. Everyone stopped what they were doing and they went to a big white house in the middle.

"What's that?" asked Makki.

"It's the head centaur; he's calling everyone for a meeting." The man stood up. "C'mon, I'm going with you."

Makki stood up. "I forgot to ask your name."

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Bangun, god of time."

The two of them ran towards the house. The house was filled with demigods. A muscular man was calling out names. ".. And I need one demigod from the Amanikable cabin."

Then, nobody raised a hand. There were no demigods in the Amanikable cabin. Until Bangun called out, "Macanduc, we have a new recruit! He's a son of Amanikable!"

Everyone gasped. "Very well, then. Bring him here!" said Macanduc.

Then Bangun brought Makki to the stage. Macanduc smelled him and raised Makki's arm. "Behold, son of Amanikable!" then there were demigods clapping. "He will be one of the fourteen demigods in the arena." Macanduc turned to the demigods behind him, then to Makki. "See you all two days later."

Then the house was empty. Everyone went back to what they were doing. Then Bangun was cursing. Makki followed him to the Amanikable cabin, which looked like a mini Manila Ocean park. "That Macanduc," Bangun said in clenched teeth. "He's always challenging newcomers." Then he turned to Makki. "I'm sorry, but you're going to join the Cabin war two days later. But don't worry; I'm sure you have some fighting instincts. If not, then I'll ask the _tikbalng_ that brought you here – Karne, that's his name – to train you. Gods can't train the demigods, only the cabinmates. But since you don't have _any_ cabinmates, then Karne will train you."

"Okay," Makki stiffened. Then he went inside his cabin.

"Oh, and I hope you enjoy your cabin." Then Bangun heard an announcement.

"Bangun, Bathala is looking for you. Please come here ASAP."

"Whoops, gotta go. Sorry Makki." Then the god sped off.

Makki entered his cabin. It looked dusty on the inside. It had a bed out of seashells, a lamp, a cabinet and a bathroom. He found a set of clothes in the cabinet and took a warm bath. Then he cleaned his cabin and went out.

Then he was called by a boy with a yellow shirt. Makki went to him.

"Hello, Makki." The boy said. "Welcome to Camp Hayahay. My name is Enzo, son of Bathala." He held out his hand.

Makki took it and shook his hand. "Hey."

Enzo smiled. "I have no cabinmates, too. Hey, let's be allies in the arena! It'll be fun!"

Makki smiled. 'Sure!"

-And that's the first mistake of Makki-

Until next chapter…

-Oto- Filipinos rock!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Makki shook hands with Enzo, Makki felt slightly electrocuted."Whoa, dude," he said. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" Enzo asked, letting go of his grip on Makki's hand.

"You kinda zapped me." Makki said.

"Sorry. My powers react easily when it comes to water."

Then, a _tikbalang _came with an _askal_, a guard dog. "Makki," he said in a raspy voice. "Training time."

"Whoops," Makki said to Enzo. "Gotta go. See you next time." He followed the _tikbalang_.

"Sorry for being rude," the monster said. "But I have received an instruction from Bangun saying that you should train for the Arena three days from now."

"And you are?" Makki asked.

"I am Karne, your trainer. And this is Puppy, my guard dog."

"_That's _your guard dog?" Makki chuckled at the cute puppy. "Yeah, right."

The _askal _must've heard it, because it suddenly transformed into a six-foot dog. "Uh, right." Makki squeaked. "Nice Puppy, want a bone?"

Karne brought Makki to an open ground with a _balikbayan_ box. Makki smelled the sweet Hayahay air. Then Puppy farted, which paralyzed him. Makki stood up and staggered to Karne, who was busy looking at the small box. "What's with that box?" Makki asked.

"It's not just an ordinary box, it's a sacred item from the gods. Without them, how do Filipinos send items to the Philippines when they're abroad?" Karne said. "But in Camp Hayahay, this balikbayan box can contain as much items as it can without getting heavy. Here, watch." Karne opened the box and pulled out a rattan ball. He tossed it to Makki, which made Makki fall down.

"Hey, why is this heavy?" Makki huffed.

"That's equivalent to ten sacks of rice. If you could carry that, then you could carry ten sacks of rice." Karne explained. Then he pulled out a fat pig. "This is Bubby, the pig. This is our first test." He sniffed the grass until he reached a pile with a darker color, which Makki hadn't noticed. Karne bit it and pulled it. The grass turned out to be a big grass carpet, which had a pool of mud underneath.

"First test : speed." Karne began as he placed iron fences around it. "You have to chase Bubby here in the pool of mud without going out of the fence. Easy enough?"

Makki gulped. "Am I supposed to get-"

"Down and dirty?" Karne finished. "Big yes." He placed Bubby in the mud. "Go."

Makki jumped to the fence and chased Bubby. He went right, so Makki went right. Then Bubby went left, making Makki confused. Then Makki slipped and fell in the mud. Bubby snorted. Karne whinnied. Makki stood up and jumped after Bubby. The pig simply went right and Makki fell face-first to the mud.

"Watch where the pig is going," Karne said. "Predict his moves."

Makki stood up and chased Bubby. The pig charged at the fence. Makki followed. Then Bubby jumped and Makki hit the fence. Then he fell again. He got up and tried to kick the pig, the pig went right and hit Makki in the hip with his head. Makki fell and Bubby flinched.

"Concentrate, Makki." Karne said. "The pig should not outsmart you, it's you who should outsmart the pig."

_You who should outsmart the pig_, Karne's voice echoed in Makki's mind. He stood up once more and charged at the pig. In his mind, he thought of his failures. First, the pig went right, then left. Then the pig went right when he jumped. After that the pig went right when he was chasing him to the fence. And finally, he went right when Makki kicked.

Makki had figured out the pig's plan! He charged at Bubby one more. The pig went right and Makki went right. Makki caught him, but he was too slippery that he was freed. Makki moved left as the pig went left, then Makki moved right as the pig moved right. The pig was now confused. The pig moved right and Makki embraced him tightly. The pig struggled but couldn't escape. Then Makki brought him to Karne.

"Very good." Karne said as he patted Makki's muddy hair. He got the pig and placed him back in the balikbayan box. "Next test."

"Whoa, wait." Makki said. "I'm dirty, hungry, and thirsty."

"Not a problem," Karne said. He pulled out a foldable plastic orange table and set it up and added a table cover and a placemat. He also pulled out a lunchbox. He said something and opened it. Magically, a plate sprung out with pork adobo with rice and a bottle of Gatorade on the table. He also pulled out a tiny hand sanitizer and placed it on the table.

"Whoa, nice box! It can do anything!" Makki said, then frowned. "But I'm dirty."

"Not a problem, either." Karne pulled out a hose and it sprayed water on Makki. Karne doused him with water. Then Makki shook himself and caught a plastic foldable chair Karne threw at him. Makki sat down and ate with his hands. He gobbled up the adobo and rice then drank the Gatorade then washed his hands with the hand sanitizer.

After ten minutes, Karne clapped his hands - er, _hooves_ - and said, "Are you ready for the next training?"

"Oh yeah!" Makki exclaimed.

* * *

><p>End of Chapter 2.<p>

Hopya liked it. Hehehe :)

Long live the Philippines!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"For your next training," Karne said, looking into the _balikbayan_ box. "You will meet an old friend of mine," he took out a whistle with horns on its sides. Karne blew into the whistle and it made a soft, soothing sound. Then a gigantic carabao landed next to the _tikbalang_. "Meet Kalaw, my friend."

"That's… quite a friend you got there." Makki said, looking up at the giant carabao. "Now, what's my next test all about? Wrestling that big guy?"

"Close enough," the _tikbalang_ rummaged into the box and took out a small, white flag. Then he jumped onto Kalaw's horn, which is around ten feet off the ground. Talk about high jumps. "The test is simple," Karne called out as he inserted the flag behind his enormous left ear. "Get this flag from Kalaw and avoid being hit by Kalaw."

"That's all?" Makki answered. "No easier tasks?"

From high above, Makki could sense that Karne was chuckling. "Hey!" He called out. "No advice?"

"Oh, yeah," Karne said, leaping off Kalaw. "Stay alive."

"Thanks a lot," Makki grumbled. "I'll keep _that_ in mind, if I still have one before Kalaw steps on me."

Karne blew a whistle that indicates the test has begun. Kalaw charged at Makki with lightning-fast speed, literally. And with a blink of an eye Makki is down and dirty.

"Wow," Makki squeaked, roughly standing up. "I.. I underestimated that.. that _thing_." The boy stood up, breathing heavily, and braced himself for another lightning-fast attack. _SMACK!_

Makki was sent flying for ten meters. Then he landed on a soft cushion of chartreuse grass next to a sky blue pond with koi swimming in it.

_Oh yeah, my dad's the water god. _He thought. Then he whispered to the water, "_Hey dad, how 'bout a hard blast of water for the thirsty carabao?_"

As if the pond replied, water violently rose to form a hand. Then the hand charged at Kalaw and slapped it. Kalaw came crashing down, shaking Camp Hayahay. The flag fell on Makki's head. He picked it up and turned to the pond.

"Whoa, I didn't mean _that _hard." He told the pond.

"Impressive," Karne said, scanning the scene. Then he looked at Makki.

Makki looked at Karne nervously. "I wasn't talking to the pond! I swear!"

"Don't pretend, I know _exactly_ what you did a while ago." The _tikbalang_ eyed Makki's hand and saw the flag. "I see you got the flag. Good, that means you are ready for the Arena, which is three days from now. But now, you should rest."

Karne dismissed Makki. Makki went to the Mess Hall to eat dinner with everybody.

When he entered, Enzo and a boy were sitting together at a table with the initials T.L.T. emblazoned on it far from the popular tables. _The Loser's Table_, Makki guessed. _I could blend in here perfectly._

At the sight of Makki, Enzo waved. All of the demigods laughed hard.

Makki sat on the table beside Enzo. "Why are you guys on this table?"

"We're losers," Enzo said. "And this is Mateo, son of Mapulon, god of seasons."

"Hey. Nice to meet you, Mateo."

"You ready for the Arena, Makki?" Mateo asked.

"I'm… ready. Ready enough." Makki said.

"We're allies now, so it's us versus the Axis, like the usual."

"What's an Axis?"

"It is a group in the arena," Enzo said, getting a piece of paper and a pen from his rucksack. "In this case, the rivals of our group, Allied. Remember that there are fourteen major gods and goddesses here? Well, six of them are the first class gods and goddesses, which are the most popular, include Bathala, Amanikable, Idiyanale, Dimangan, Lakapati, and Mapulon. The Axis is a group of gods that are somewhat referred to as 'minors'. They are the eight remaining gods and goddesses who hate the Allied. They are Mayari, Tala, Hanan, Dumakulem, Anitun, Anagolay, Apolaki, and Diyan Masalanta. In the Arena, the teams are based on this."

"Whoa," Makki said, looking at the words, phrases, and Arena drawings written on the paper Enzo wrote. "This thing reminds me of World War II."

"Of course," Enzo said. "The gods and goddesses had a meeting to change their management after World War II. So instead of calling themselves 'first generation' and 'second generation', they changed it to 'Allied' and 'Axis'."

"Where'd you get all this information?"

"I had history lessons with Kabon, the head _tikbalang_."

"What about that pen?"

"Don't change the topic."

The conversation stopped short when Kabon appeared in the middle of the Mess Hall. He was holding a long staff and he was dressed as a wizard.

"Announcement!" He said. "The Arena Game will start tomorrow! Our mangkukulam, Kim, predicted that a heavy rain will flood the Arena, so we shortened it to make it much more thrilling!"

"Oh, no," Mateo whispered. "A heavy rain."

"Brilliant!" Enzo said. "I could drown demigods!"

"Uh, hello?" Kabon said. "Even if you kill them, they won't die. _Diwatas _would carry them out of the Arena and heal them to perfect health. We've been doing that for centuries, even Emilio Aguinaldo played here as an Allied."

"He's a demigod?" A demigod asked.

"Yes, and a clever one too." Kabon replied. "Son of Bathala, always leading the Allied."

"Wow," Makki said. "So you're _that_ old?"

Everyone laughed.

"It depends on how you look at it, son of Amanikable," Kabon said. "I will expect a great battle in the Arena, since you think you're so tough." Then the _tikbalang _left.

"Great, the _tikbalang _thinks I'm tougher than him." Makki said, returning to his seat.

"Oh, forget about him." Enzo said. "He's not our problem now. It's the Arena."

"The game starts tomorrow." Mateo said.

The three demigods nodded in agreement. They braced themselves for the unexpected.


End file.
